this morning on "world news now" -- it is down to the wire for presidential debate number two. >> as candidates preparing to face off again tomorrow night we will have a new look at the race. it's monday, october 15th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." "world news now." >> like the new creepy voice we have now. "world news now." >> new voiceover guy. >> we like it. sound really -- good morning, everybody. i don't know where i was going with that. good morning, everybody. rob nelson. >> just going to stop you right there before you got in trouble. >> felt myself against that. >> the latest with our new poll and debate preparations in a moment. also this half-hour, the

dramatic moment so many baseball fans are talking about. the broken ankle that ended the post season for yankees' captain derek jeter. >> not the news yanks' fans want to hear on that one. move over felix baumgartner, chuck yaeger pulled off a flying stuvent h stunt of his own yesterday. he did it at age 89. >>age of 89. hopefully on my front porch, sipping lemonade. >> take it easy. later we'll run down the highlights of nfl week six. and see how we and you are doing in the "world news now" standings. >> it was a brutal week for some of us. not naming names. oh, brutal out there. >> you. pointed at yourself? >> at me. rough. rob nelson. first we have a new look at this morning at the presidential race. our latest abc news, "washington post" poll find president obama leading mitt romney, 49% to 46%

among likely voters. >> there is however a bright spot for the republican challenger. 59% of romney supporters say they're strongly enthusiastic about him compared to 55% of the president's supporters. and these numbers come as candidates head into the homestretch with 22 days until the election. tomorrow night presidential contenders face off in their second debate. abc's david kerley reports on their last-minute preps. >> hello, everybody. hello. hello. i brought some food. >> reporter: president obama took a break to visit a campaign office. now into his intense debate preparation. >> howdy. >> it is going great. >> reporter: the president is holed up at the williamsburg virginia resort. walking and enjoying scenery we are told between sessions. far from the campaign trail preparing for his rematch with romney. >> i don't think in recorded, history of presidential debates has there been such a momentum shift off the first presidential debate. and so, the president has to

turn the momentum back in his direction. >> reporter: the obama team was quite open about how damaging the first debat was to their campaign. and that their candidate must adapt. >> i think he is going to make some adjustments on tuesday. >> he has got to be more energetic. >> i think he'll be aggressive. >> reporter: after attending church near boston. mitt romney held debate sessions. his camp knows they will see a different president obama tuesday night. >> the president can change his style, his tactics, he can't change his record. >> reporter: while the debate about the debeate was the talk. and the obama campaign is filling ohio airwaves using actor morgan freeman. >> four years later our enemies have been brought to justice. our heroes are coming home. assembly lines are humming again. >> reporter: and this week, bill clinton and bruce springsteen are in ohio campaigning for the president. ♪ yes i am >> reporter: big names aimed directly at the undecided voters

in a critical battleground state. how important is ohio? well mitt romney was there four days last week. he is expected to return later this week to try and cut into the president's lead in that all-important state. david kerley, abc news, the white house. thank you, david. the lead has been cut into. looking at poll numbers over the weekend. this thing has gotten so tight. even in some battleground states. mitt romney up in colorado. up in north carolina. and also up by a few points in florida. which really kind of puts the spotlight back on how important the folks in ohio are. those people who have not decided and turn out in the state will at this point seems like make or break this election. >> never before in history have debates actually meant so much. a lot of people didn't thing it would have the swing. but romney has the seized on the momentum. you see it with newt poll. shifting again. but again, interesting to see what kind of questions come out of the townhall session tuesday. >> wondering how scripted those

things are too? do they feed the question to betty from cincinnati or carl from wisconsin. >> as scripted as our show. >> so very. >> go off the rails basically. >> make for good tv. pretrial hearings get under way at guantanamo bay for five men charged with plotting the 9/11 terror attacks. among those on trial, khalid sha sheik mohamed. family members of those killed on 9/11 have been invited to military bases in four staets to watch proceedings. the nationwide meningitis outbreak continues to spread with cases popping up first time in new hampshire. 205 people have been sickened so far. the death toll now standing at 15 in 14 different states. tennessee being the hardest hit. the fungal meningitis cases linked to steroid shots for back pain from a massachusetts pharmacy. there is growing pressure to increase oversight on similar

pharmacies. >> hard to believe they're not regulated. should be clearly. felix baumgartner is back on earth this morning after his record breaking jump from space. preliminary results indicate the austrian daredevil was moving faster than the speed of sound as he made the 24-mile drop back to planet earth. baumgartner says this is his last jump. he intend to settle down with his girlfriend and simply fly rescue missions. smart move. nothing left to prove. baumgartner wasn't the only trail blazer yesterday. the first man to break the sound barrier in a jet, 65 years ago did it again. 89-year-old chuck yaeger took the back seat on a super sonic flight from las vegas. first accomplished the feat back on october 14th, 1947. 89 years old. >> good for him. >> breaking the speed of sound. man, some people age well. >> felix baumgartner reaching speed of 833 miles per hour.

equivalent. sure you know, mach, 1.24, speed. >> science major, huh? >> mach -- >> terrible at science. i was okay at math. >> but not the science part. >> not science part. >> they're going fast. >> really fast. >> they're going fast. >> time for weather. northeast could see showers by the afternoon commute. heavy rainfall in the pacific northwest. fladi i flooding possibility for seattle. severe weather threat for the mid-atlantic region. >> there you go, get it out. it's all right. dallas, slightly warmer than usual. mid to upper 80s. temperatures back to normal in the midwest. after a pretty warm weekend. salt lake city, billings right around 70. >> yankees fans are going to need these. i need one too. >> get the booger off the desk. uh-huh. allergies. derek jeter one of the most productive players in post season.

now he is out for the year. i know. it happened during game one of the alcs, yankees/tigers. top of the 12th. fielded the grounder. hit the dirt. wincing in pain. the diagnosis, a season-ending fractured left ankle. >> it is very panful in the first two weeks. good news is this fellow is in tremendous shape, extraordinary athlete. excellent patient from what i have been told. he listens. i don't think the yankees are going to have a hard time moving forward. just bad timing. >> you think? jeter is undergoing tests and seeing specialists. not set in stone yet. he will likely have to undergo, undergo surgery, yeah, manager, joe girardi says he is in good spirits and looking forward to spring training in february. you don't really want your captain to be talking about spring training. >> no. bigger mountains to climb first. national league championship series got under way in san francisco last night. the cardinals took an early 6-0 lead over the giants. then the giants narrowed the gap

with a four-run rally in the fourth. not enough and the card held on to win, final score, 6-4. in american league, detroit/new york. game two in this one. jeff nelson admittedly blew a call in the eighth inning, declaring, omar ifante safe at second. clearly out. out. thatten fura einfuriated manage argued, he was tossed out of the game. and scored two runs after all the hoopla. final score, 3-0 in favor of the tigers. >> the tigers. >> the victory puts the tigers up 2-1 over the yanks. alcs moves to detroit for game three. coming up tomorrow night. in the national league. cardinals one game lead over the giants. game two tonight in san francisco. can't wait for you to say some of the nhl names, if they ever come back. there is a big college football win for mississippi this weekend. but an even bigger victory for

change. >> i love this story. ole miss crowned its first african-american homecoming queen. 50 years ago, courtney roxanne pierson would have been banned from attending the university simply because she is black. a notorious segregation policy, ended when james meredith was admitted in 1962. pierson says her honor couldn't have come at a better time. >> you want to say it is about time. but you also just want to say -- congratulations to her. >> crazy. think about trajectory of things. when they let james meredith in, riots broke out. two people died. injured. decade later, first black homecoming queen. progress comes slowly. at least it comes. >> can't take the smile off her face. >> enjoy the moment. >> monday morning quarterback, courtesy of -- yours truly. >> we'll wrap the highlights and lowlights of sunday's nfl action. you are watching "world news now."

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will answer some of your questions, and help you find the aarp medicare supplement plan that's right for you. welcome back, everybody. are you ready for some football? here to talk about the highs, the lows and insanity of week six is our friend and partner jason page, espn radio-new york. jason, i have no idea what is going on in the nfl? we do know one thing, victor cruz says, the giants are here to stay after the smackdown on the niners in san francisco. >> they're here to say. if somebody could have told you

after the first six games the schedule they have on tap this year, giants would be 4-2, antrel rolle called it most complete performance of the season. intercept alex smith three times in this game. quarterback grading, everybody talks about quarterback grading? what's the overrated stat in football. alex smith highest qb rating today, threw three interceptions. didn't look like the quarterback everybody portrayed him to be this year. big lo for the 49ers. both teams 4-2. ahmad bradshaw, over 100 yard. first time to do that in san francisco since 2009. you don't run the football against the 49ers. giants did it today. >> they definitely -- they crushed them. this is the great nfc championship rematch from last season. so here we are. week six. talking about a 3-3 patriots team. they had a nice solid, seemed like a formidable lead over seattle. then seahawks, some how came back and did not get the

comeback. >> 21-10. 23-10 game. year of the rookie quarterback. andrew luck, robert griffin, iii. russell wilson. seattle, 4-2, with the 49ers. after week six, both would be 4-2. you would have thought i was nuts. >> i am a little crazy. you are crazy. >> i'm wearing purple. >> russell wilson, two touchdown passes in the game. against the patriots. let's start having the conversation again. patriots are 3-3, is this the end of the belichick-tom brady run? the question every year. they're tied with the jets atop the afc east. >> cowboys put up 500 yard of offense and still find a way to lose in baltimore. they had a nice comeback going still lost, 31-29. couldn't believe it. 500 yard. >> like herm edward was doing management end of the game.

terribly managed. get a touchdown link. miss the two-point conversion. then you get the onside kick. how many times, onside kicks aren't successful that happen. cowboys able to get the onside kick. you see it there. get into the scrum. they get the football. to set up a bailey field goal attempt. 50-plus yard. have an opportunity to win the game. they mismanage the final 25 second of the game. could have gotten in closer for the field goal attempt. in stepped misses a little left. dallas its 2-3 now. and the talk of all the water coolers and sports radio, all in the dallas area, all around the country. what is wrong with the cowboys right now, 2 and 3, if you tell me right now, giants? >> giants. >> or falcons? >> falcons. >> giants. >> taking the giants. two teams played each other. take the giant every time. >> the pastrami sandwich. what do we have next week, week seven? >> seattle/san francisco. 4-2. going all it. nfc best division in football. >> jets. >> when's the last time we said that?

>> i know. >> baltimore/houston. 5 and 1. two 5 and 1 teams squaring off. this could be the year saying this since we started doing this, the ravens could be a super bowl team. i love the way joe flacco is playing. another game. jets/patriots. 3 and 3. as the bad as the jets have been. going into foxboro, week seven, opportunity to seize control of the division early on. >> who would have thunk? >> i wouldn't have thunk. >> let's dig in. >> he is jason page, espn radio. and the "world news now" scam petition 'tis coming up next after this. stay with us. >> no, that's mine. >> this one is mine. >> why are you putting your fingers on it? you are gross.

♪ ♪ >> hand on the ball.

>> time for our week six update in the "world news now" nfl picks competition. we are jind heoined here as usu the commish, captain jack sheehan. welcome back. >> good to be back. >> a tough week for some, not so much for others. jack will remind us of the games we picked. and kudos to pick the game that neither of us thought. >> future games this week. cincinnati/cleveland. indianapolis/jets. cowboys/baltimore. jason and paul commenting on. last night's beat down, i mean, game -- between green bay and houston. rob. >> this its brutal. for the week, the fans and i limping in at just 1 and 3 on the week. >> ooh. ooh. >> paula, 2 and 2. you break even. the commish had great week, stellar, 3 and 1. thanks to his inspired, improbable pick of the cleveland browns. don't know how you called it,

jack. you did. >> you did. kudos. >> never in doubt. >> for the season, you, rob and the commission, all tied at the bottom. the fans are 14 and 10. i am atop,er who where i like t atop the standings. >> where you look to be, huh? >> good stuff. >> we need more to vote. go on line, wnnfans.com. we posted it, thursday, friday for the weekend games. come on, join in the club. fans are doing fairly well this season. cull on out. vote, get into it. >> do you have to register to vote? go to the board of elections or anything. >> no i.d. needed. no i.d. needed. >> like louisiana, come on and vote. vote whatever you want. >> can i give a shout out? >> no. >> just want to give a shout out to my new friend at racine plumbing, in chicago, run a great bus trip to notre dame,

racineplumbing? chicago.com. check it out. >> watching them. >> did pretty well. >> sorry. >> have you sobered up? >> not yet. we were enjoying our empty nest. and now it's just a nest full of laundry. lucky underwear. we were going through so much of that bargain detergent... and the clothes didn't look as good. but since we switched to tide, we use much less. their clothes are looking much more...uh... what's the word? clean? employable. [ female announcer ] one cap of tide gives you more cleaning power than 6 caps of the bargain brand. [ mom ] that's my tide, what's yours?

welcome back, everybody. time now for, off-camera joke. time for "the mix" here. ever wonder why people smile at you sometimes. hey, you see in the elevator t. hallway, hey, how you doing. new studies, from "the daily mail" i found this interesting. a study found that those who feel powerful tend not to smile back at important people, perhaps they feel threatened. but they save their smiles instead for those below them in the pecking order. basically saying if some one smiles at you they feel, in the work place, they feel they are above you. taking pity on you. researchers said interpretation is when you are feeling powerful and see a lesto low status persu are throwing them a bone. i should smile at this person.

i'm better than them. >> you are always smiling at me. >> you are smiling at me. i am the lowly overnight guy. >> we are smiling at each other. that override. >> that's right. that means we are in love. that's all. >> well we are work spouses. >> you are my work wife. careful smiling in the elevator, hallway, send you a message. just saying. >> uh-huh. anybody that drinks coffee will love this if you are a woman. a new study out. every day. 130,000 volunteers. if a woman drinks four to six cups of coffee a day they're less like low to suffer from cancer. and men, prostate cancer. regardless if it is caffeinated or decaf. may be coffee in general. >> fur to sex cuour to six cups.

a lot of coffee. >> one theory it may have beneficial effect on your insulin levels. >> i am not a big coffee drinker. sodas. >> interesting, ten states that sell the most beer here. which i thought absolutely interesting. let's go backward here. 10-1. we have, there is the list, delaware, then, nebraska, texas, vermont, wisconsin, nevada, south dakota, montana, and number two, north dakota, apparently the states that sell the most beer, top of the list, state of new hampshire comes in at number 1. >> excuse you, rob. per capita? >> apparently from my quick reading. new hampshire, enjoy their beer. >> if you thought you had an expensive ticket. a brooklyn bicyclist, fined $1,000. kept going through light after light after light.

had headphones.

this morning on "world news now" -- the presidential candidates gear up for round two. president obama and governor romney get ready to tackle voters' questions as a new pl shows yet another shift in the lead. it's monday, october 15th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." everyone's favorite day of the week, good monday morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> it's actually not my favorite day of the week. >> yeah. >> oh, sarcasm. >> she is quick tonight. >> always a little slow on mondays. paula faris. the latest on how candidates are tweaking strategies for their second debate. >> first a look at some of the other stories we will follow

this half-hour. a death-defying plunge to earth, 883 miles an hour, unbelievable, with a parachute to break his fall. how felix baumgartner managed to cheat death. a picture-perfect free fall and landing. look at that moment right there. he did it shattering the world record. unbelievable. people were riveted to the video over the weekend. >> can't imagine free falling over 4 minutes. >> at almost 900 miles an hour. felix, hats off, you are braver than most, my friend. also this half-hour, going to bring you the story of a mother in texas who is currently serving life for killing her foster child. why she says she did not do it. of course this is going to be the topic of discussion all day on the "katie" show today. i had the opportunity to go down and interview her in a texas penitentiary. >> people can check you out in the afternoon, if they watch

"katie" today. pretty gripping interview. >> extremely gripping. we brought, there is a lot of layers to the interview as well. but we brought in her husband and her five kids who she has, no physical contact with at all. she can see them once or twice a month. but no physical contact. her lawyers. so. >> all of that. >> man layers. later, a homecoming to remember. a teenager who survived a flesh-eating bacteria is welcomed back to school in grand style there. what a night matt must have been for her. wow. a lot of survivor stories tonight. i like that. first, a brand new snapshot of the presidential race. our latest abc news/"washington post" poll find president obama leading mitt romney 49% to 46%. that is among likely voters. in a bright spot for the republican challenger, 59% of romney supporters now say they're strongly enthusiastic about him. compared to 55% of the president's supporters.

>> the numbers, everybody, all comes with 22 days until the election. one day until the next presidential debate. abc's karen travers has a preview. >> reporter: the presidential contenders are gearing up for round two. >> how is the debate prep going, sir? >> it is going great. >> reporter: their next showdown will be a townhall, cnn's candy crowley will moderate, but questions will come from the audience. >> i think he need to be hard-hitting on some, use and take a concrete stand. >> reporter: democrats said president obama was too passive in the first debate. his campaign says that won't happen again. >> he's got to be more energe c energetic. >> i think he will be aggressive in making the case for his view of where we should go as a country. >> reporter: ohio senator rob portman has been romney's debate prep partner. he says the republican is ready for battle. >> president obama is going to come out swinging. he is going to have to compensate for a poor first debate. >> reporter: the townhall format

could prevent challenges, neither candidate has held many events like this. >> beth haoth have to tread lig. if they're going on the offense too aggressively with each other that can spill to the audience and make them look too combative. >> reporter: for the president that means getting aggressive could be a tricky balancing act. romney need to reach out to the audience and voters watching at home. >> conventional wisdom, governor romney isn't as good as connecting with voters as the president may be. we'll see huh he handles the dimension in the debates. >> reporter: karen travers, abc news, washington. >> the president has to make up for lost ground from the debate. polls nationally and in swing states are tightening up. a lot on the line. the piece made a good point. whether the townhall format lend itself to an aggressive style. typicalliy ein a townhall, they have to relate to ethel in cincinnati, and her story, and

can they swing in the intimate setting, mano y mano. >> one thing, candy crowley, describes, once the table is set by the questioner there is time for me to say, hey, what about x, y, z, both parties are saying not really. that is not how it is supposed to happen. the commission is saying the moderator will not ask follow up questions or comment on questions asked by the audience or those by the candidates. >> tussling over the rules, huh? >> exactly. >> interesting. all right, we'll be checking you out tuesday night, candy, we will see. austrian daredevil, felix baumgartner back on earth this morning after a record breaking leap from space. according to preliminary data, baumgartner reached a maximum speed of get this, 833.9 miles an hour during his jump over the new mexico desert. that amounts to mach 1.24. faster than the speed of sound. baumgartner has said the stunt changed his perspective.

>> when you stand up there on top of the world you become so humble. it's not about -- breaking records anymore, not about getting scientific data, it is all about coming home alive. >> his poor mother. because of the pressurized space suit, baumgartner didn't feel the rushing air or hear the loud noise he made when he did in fact break the sound barrier. >> incredible footage there. lucky guy. man, applause in the background. well-earned guys. mission accomplished for space shuttle "endeavour," reaching its final resting spot in the city of angels. after zooming through space, 25 times, "endeavour" inched its way from lax to california science center. and just a paltry rate of 2 miles an hour. hundred of trees in fact had to be cut down. traffic signals moved to make way for the massive wing span. "endeavour" arrived to a cheering crowd more than a half day behind schedule. again it is finally home. >> huh. tributes are pouring in this

morning for, former senator arlen specter, moderate republican turned democrat from pennsylvania who served 30 years in the senate died yesterday of complications of nonhodgkins lymphoma, age 82. specter known for being independent and former pennsylvania governor ed rendle is among those remembering his integrity. >> i came out of law school as a young assistant da. he taught me a lot of what i know. but teaching me about discipline, teaching me about staying focused. teaching me aout bobout the val preparation. >> ed rendell. specter's funeral will be tomorrow in penn valley pennsylvania and vice president biden has postponed campaign events in order to attend. i grew uppen south jersey. i remember, arlen specter in the news, headlines, a dominant figure. in reading obituaries, he would anger republicans, anger the democrats, really this fierce

centrist you. don't see many politicians like that anymore. entren tched on one side. you don't see guys who can cross the aisle, angered folks along the way, don't tote party line, they do what they thing is a right. >> they have the people's best interest in mind. is that what you are saying? >> well, yeah, would be nice. other news this morning -- the fbi says a man has been arrested in the kidnapping of an 11-year-old little girl in wyoming. police in the town of cody say the suspect lured the girl into his suv last week saying he needed help finding his lost puppy. hunters found the child outside of town several hours later. officials now say there is no link though between this case and the disappearance of jessica ridgeway in colorado. also the number of -- fungal meningitis cases has been going up every day now over a week. there are now 205 confirmed case as cross the country.

15 people have died in 14 states. the outbreak linked to steroid shots for back pain all made at a specialty pharmacy in the state of massachusetts. pressure is now mounting to increase government oversight on similar companies. also a new investigation find federal safety officials have failed to follow through on promises to protect children from jewelry tainted with cadmium. consumer product safety commission has not recalled kids jewelry, kids jewelry that contains the toxic metal and not warned parents either. federal regulators have taken steps to limit exposure which can cause kidney and ben damage as well as cancer. the road to world series started with game one of the national league championship series, nlcs. and taking an early 6-0 lead, cardinals, and the two-run homer. giants rallying. couple long drives, producing

four runs. the card hold on to win this one, 6-4. they take game one in the nlcs. inhe american league, troilt detrotroilt -- detroit at new york. jeff nelson, calls, omar ifante safe at second. a call that nelson admits he blew. joe girardi, not happy, argues with nelson. ejected on his birthday. capitalize. sk scoring two runs. tigers, not so happy, 48th birthday for the skipper. you know what? that wasn't the worst part of the weekend for bronx bombers. game one. top of the 12th. derek jeter hitting the dirt, clearly in pain. turns out he fractured his left ankle. and he is out for the year. sources saying he is going to have surgery. a crushing blow for the yanks. manager, girardi says the team

is deter menned to play on. >> as far as bringing us down. no i think the guys want to do it for him. i really do. i think the energy level was good. >> so jeter is on crutches. he won't travel to detroit with the team. he is undergoing seeing specialists. no decision on his treatment. according to espn "sources", and "the sources", right, he will undergo surgery. here is where things stand. the tigers have a 2-0 lead in the alcs. the series moves to detroit for game three. that is tomorrow night. and then in the -- nlcs, cardinals just one game, up on san francisco, game two tonight in san francisco. after the blown call -- joe girardi is begging for replays not just for home runs and, you know, foul balls. but everything. >> i support the replay the why not go for accuracy if we can do it. we have technology. interesting, girardi, four of

five ejections against the detroit tigers. he was true to form. some speculation, career ender for jeter? >> too early to say that. way too early. got to see how the bone fuses. >> always the case. coming up next, the story of a teenager suffering from a rare flesh-eating bacteria. how she is finally returning to the life she loves. >> plus i traveled to texas to meet a woman accused of killing her foster child. why she says she is innocent. we have her story coming up on "world news now." ♪ >> announcer: "world news now" weather -- brought to you by consumer cellular. 3q

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welcome back, everybody. this is a story you will see later today on katie couric's new talk show. the big question has justice been served or has a texas mother been wrongly imprisoned for the last five years. >> she is currently serving a life sentence without parole for the murder of her foster son, convicted of forcing him to ingest a deadly dose of salt. but hannah tells me she is innocent. >> reporter: her defense tried to convin tce the jury andrew a the salt himself. did you kill your foster child? >> no. >> reporter: did you ever think of harming him in any way?

>> no. >> reporter: but the jury found her guilty of capital murder. >> wow. what, what caused this story to bubble up into national press? >> well she had, they had an evidentiary hearing in april now in the hand of the texas court of criminal appeals. they could rule any day now. she is separated from her five children. she has abslaugolutely no physi contact. they can see her once, twice a month. a ten-hour round trip for them to make the drive from prison to corpus christi where they live. facts came out after the case that this child, foster cheld mcheld -- child may have had a bizarre eating disorder, pica, he would peel paint off the wall, eat crayons, glow sticks, cat food, hair balls, dig out of the trash. >> wow, wow, wow. >> the prosecution painted her as a mom that wanted a way out. though she was 6 months pregnant. been in a car accident, just a

couple weeks before he died. was bedridden. and wearing a neck brace. they think she was able to force that amount of salt down his throat. so a very involved case. again, katie's show dedicating a full hour to it. >> check out paula's story on katie. a gripping piece. wow. >> tune in, to "good morning america," much more on the story of hannah overton. >> all right. still ahead this half-hour. the movie getting all of the oscar buzz this year -- argo, a story based on some of the most dramatic international events in a generation. >> first, a simple swim in the lack turned into a six-week nightmare for this maryland girl. now she is returning to life as it should be. she is doing it in style. all next on "world news now".

we want you to meet a

16-year-old girl. >> proving to be an inspiration. >> reporter: giddy, glowing, and grateful to be alive. 16-year-old alexis hanford was all smiles saturday as she prepared for high school homecoming dance in maryland. >> she, you know, still seems like she is okay. and happy to be alive and happy to -- to be able to participate in these things. and you know as a parent, that's awesome. >> three, two, one! go, haley. >> reporter: barely two month as go after playing in this lake with her sister haley. the former soccer player was hospitalized with a rare train of flesh eating bacteria. >> i went off a rope swing. when i fell into the water, i hit my leg. it actually was -- really bad.

>> reporter: over the course of weeks, hanford endured surgeries to rid her leg of infection and celebrated her sweet 16 with new wheels. >> every surgery you wait in the waiting room wondering what they found and what would need to be removed or what was still left and was healthy. >> i have lost a lot of use in my leg. but, i haven't lost my leg. >> reporter: though not yet well enough to return full time, the redhead stopped by school friday long enough to be crowned homecoming princess. >> it was amazing to be crowned. and i am guessing probably since i have been away for so long they just wanted me to know that i'm still included in the school. i can't even explain how much that means to me. >> reporter: declared a princess this week, but fought hard to be a survivor for life. alexis is now being tutored at hope but hopes to take classes over the summer to be on track

with the rest of her graduating class. she will likely have to wear a brace for the rest of her live to help her walk. ♪ nope. [ female announcer ] charmin ultra soft is so soft you'll have to remind yo family they can use less. charmin ultra soft is made with extra cushions that are soft and more absorbent. plus you can use four times less versus the leading value brand. don't worry, there's plenty left for you dad. we all go. why not enjoy the go with charmin ultra soft? i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses,

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♪ ♪ wake up, everybody. time for "insomniac theater" this morning. a movie that was so intriguing to our in-house critics, two of them, two of our staff folks went to check it out. >> not together. >> wasn't a date? >> amanda and i didn't go on a date. amanda van allen is here. >> paula and i didn't date this weekend. really sad. >> we both went to see the movie separately. >> i snuck a viewer in.

>> amanda. >> the movie? >> i absolutely loved this film. saying a lot for me. i don't like a lot of movies. >> you're harsh. >> it a's up here. this movie was amazing. there was comedy. there was drama. suspense. mystery. everything you can ask for in a movie the was in "argo." i loved it. learned something. historical context. i had a great time. >> based on a true story. >> based on a true story in the late 1970s. the iran hostage crisis. happened. of course it was a really big deal. t the six people slipped out the back. and the cia came up with a plot to get them back to the u.s. great movie. i had a good time. >> i wasn't so keen on the plot. didn't think the plot was great how they decided to get them out.

>> take a listen. >> this movie was over, everybody clapped their hand. it was, unbelievable. >> i thought it was really good. very interesting. i never learned about it. so, it was a lot. >> i can't speak to the total veracity of the movie, given my lack of expertise. i would say it was also a fair historical depiction as well. >> i didn't know that ben -- >> happy that i know more about the story depicted in the film. i didn't know the full details. >> as you can see, everybody loved it. enjoyed it. had a great time. as well as me. >> number of stars? >> i am giving it five out of five stars. >> perfection. >> my first five out of five rating. >> i like the plot of the movie. i didn't like the plot, designed to get the hostages out, real life plot. everybody was clapping at the end. >> everybody was clapping. >> i hate clapping at movies. >> five stars from you. five stars from you.

>> i will clap now. >> more from abc next.

this morning on "world news now" -- fearless felix. living up to his name and now he lives in the record books. now scientists want to study what the daredevil went through in his freefall from the edge of space. it is monday, october 15th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good morning, everybody. i'm paula faris on this wonderful monday. >> everyone's favorite day of the week. good morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. we'll get to the amazing felix baumgartner and his 24-mile skydive in just a second. if you turned it on this weekend, you were riveted to watching this guy tumble from space. really was incredible to watch. >> end over end over end. at one point he didn't think he

was going to come out of the freefall, not the freefall, the tumbling. >> scary just flipping around out there. but he made it. all is well. a big day. the presidential candidates prepare to go at it again in tomorrow night's highly anticipated debate. we'll have the latest poll numbers heading into round two. then the brave pakistani girl shot by the taliban just for supporting girls' education. she is now in the uk for treatment. in pakistan, people are taking to the streets in solidarity with the teen. later, is tom cruise headed for another divorce? this time from his church. the new speculation about a split possibly from scientology itself. we have all the juicy details coming up in "the skinny." that could be major. if their -- their best-known member defects. that could be big news. so -- >> a lot of members were upset they allegedly were breaking the rules for tom. >> exactly. because of the divorce. we'll get to that in

just a sec. first on monday morning. a lifetime of death-defying stunts. felix baumgartner can relax this morning, and so can all of us, right? everybody who watched the 4:20 freefall from 20 miles up. we're breathing a sigh of relief. >> especially his mother. who was crying. before he jumped. she had to be going crazy. baumgartner officially in the record books as the first skydiver to break the speed of sound. abc's ryan owens has more on the man who literally fell to earth. >> release! [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: cheers from his crew and tears from his mom, daredevil felix baumgartner began his improbable journey to the edge of space. >> capsule check, are you ready? >> go ahelp. >> reporter: for 2 1/2 hours, the 43-year-old austrian skydiver floated to an astounding 24 miles up. 128,000 feet above the new mexico desert where he opened his capsule, hung his feet out the door, was reminded to unfasten his seatbelt. >> release seatbelt. >> reporter: saluted.

and he just jumped. right into the record books. he plummeted at an inconceivable 833 miles per hour. so fast the only way to see him was his infrared camera. the first human to break the sound barrier with just his body. no jet, no rocket. he tumbled out of control for 10 seconds. then righted himself, and managed to make a sound. [ indiscernible sound ] it was enough for mom. >> okay. here we go, felix. >> reporter: the entire way up and down, felix heard only one voice. >> atta boy. >> reporter: the voice of experience. 84-year-old joe kittinger, held the record for the highest free fall for 52 years. he talked felix through shattering the record by more than 25,000 feet. high winds delayed liftoff last week, but nothing it seemed could keep felix from the stratosphere. he even returned to earth on his feet with a record that is simply out of this world.

>> when you stand up there on top of the world you become so humble. it is not about breaking records anymore, it's not about getting scientific data, it is all about coming home alive. >> reporter: we know felix will be in the record books. he may also be in science books. researchers plan to study what happened to his pressure suit and believe they can use that to design stronger safer ones for the astronauts of the future. ryan owens, abc news, roswell, new mexico. >> it is an amazing story. people are cheering what it means for the progression of science. the contribution he now has made to science. earlier this summer, august, the mars "rover" landing now. now you have this. people are saying -- it is a good time to feel good again about where we are scientifically as a country. all the signs of progress here. certainly that moment cannot be understated. >> i just really feel good about where i am now, with my hiney in this chair. >> feel good about. >> he said during the freefall, his visor started to fog up.

that's when he actually started to freak out a little bit. >> yeah, i would have freaked out much earlier than that. >> he gave a great quote, he said, "we live to conquer fears and pursue dreams may our attempts at accomplishments progress humankind." i thought that was eloquent what he said. when he -- back on safe ground. >> almost as succinct as "one step for man -- one giant" -- just kidding. moving on this morning to politics. and our new look at the presidential race with just 22 days to go. getting there folks, our latest abc news/"washington post" poll, finds president obama ahead of mitt romney, 49% to 46% among likely voters. however, 59% of romney supporters say they're strongly enthusiastic about him. that is compared to 55% of the president's supporters. the poll comes a day before the candidates, of course, meet in their second debate. mitt romney is tuning up after his strong showing at the first face-to-face showdown in denver. the republican challenger in

belmont, massachusetts, working on debate prep. >> hello, everybody. hello, hello! i brought some food. what's going on? >> and president obama took a break from debate prep in williamsburg, virginia to stop by a campaign office there. after his lackluster performance in denver, the campaign is promising the president is making tweaks and adjustments and definitely will be more aggressive. the second time around. one expert says he has to do a turnaround. >> i don't think in recorded history of presidential debates has there been such a momentum shift off the first presidential debate. so the president has to turn the momentum back in his direction. and a new development this morning on the brave pakistani girl shot in the head for speaking out again the taliban. pakistan sent the 14-year-old to the united kingdom for treatment saying she will need prolonged care. meantime, droves of pakistanis

are rallying behind her. abc's muhammad lila has the latest. >> reporter: all week the outrage has been growing -- it exploded. tens of thousands took to the streets in kratcharachi, pakist biggest city, a massive show of support for malala yousafzai, the 14-year-old shot and nearly killed this week by the taliban. finally some good news. doctors say the young girl is responding to treatment. >> she has created a movement across pakistan. of a girl others want to follow. >> reporter: for years, malala yousafzai was a thorn in the taliban's side. when they closed her school she dared to speak out fighting for the right of all girls for an education. this is what she told "the new york times." >> i want to get my education and i want to become a doctor. >> reporter: when the taliban couldn't silence her they targeted her. earlier this week a gunman shot

her in the head on the way home from school. >> pakistan! pakistan! >> reporter: that attack led to massive outrage, ordinary pakistanis uniting to denounce the taliban. each the country's christians a small minority are now praying for malala. >> it has the united the entire nation. everybody feeling the same way. right, left, center, people, no matter what their ideologies are. >> the hope is her attack is a turning point, turning the entire country against the taliban once and for all. muhammad lila, abc news, islamabad, pakistan. >> she is over in britain getting care. amazing this bullet was, actually entered through her left temple and rested on her spine. she did not suffer any significant brain damage. amidst all of that. >> i think we quote ad a doctor last week saying, she has a 70%

chance of survival. one of my favorite columnists in the country. had a great line towards the end of the column about this. he said, "the irony, almost poetic, the taliban, they tried to kill her. in doing so -- they ensured she will never die." i thought that was so eloquent. clearly her legacy now will motivate, you can imagine, countless others. we are all thinking about her and praying for her. >> a look at your monday weather -- the northwest pounded by heavy rain. up to 4 inches in some spots. severe weather a possibility from southern jersey to northern florida. mild and dry in the middle of the country. >> unusually warm actually in philly, new york city and beantown. chicago, minneapolis, in the low 60s. about average this time of year. denver is 15 degrees warmer than usual. 81. phoenix, the hot spot on the map. coming in at 93. >> well, bottom s >> indeed. up. >> might want to savor this one a little bit when you find out how much it is going to set you back. >> one of the top bartenders on the planet has created what is

believed to be the world's most expensive cocktail, $8,800 a glass. mixologist salvador calibrese used some of the oldest and priciest spirits around, he used a cognac from 1788, 1770, liqueur, and a 1860 curacao, and something i can't pronounce, and bitters. [ indiscernible ] >> impressive. >> that was from the 1900s. >> calibrese mixed it at playboy club in london, liquid history in a class. $8,800. cheers. thank you for mixing it up. >> get us some. here, the staff -- we're over budget. one of the most influential senators in years, this morning we remember arlen specter. you are watching "world news now." we remember arlen spector.

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well, a major voice for political moderation passed away over the weekend. arlen specter of pennsylvania, served 30 years in the senate. >> specter voted the way you saw it. as likely to go along wit his own party as he was to go against it. that middle way ultimately put him out of office. abc's john karl has his story. >> reporter: a native of kansas but chose pennsylvania to be his home. after law school at yale he settled in philadelphia becoming district attorney. after the kennedy assassination, specter served on the warren commission and helped develop the single bullet theory.

specter was elected to the senate in 1980, as a republican, becoming a fierce lly independent centrist and powerful voice on the judiciary committee. he infuriated his own party by helping sink robert bourke's nomination. >> judge bourke with all due respect i think you are putting the rabbit in the hat. >> reporter: his tough grilling of anita hill angered democrats. >> i object to that vociferously. i'm asking questions here. >> and helped lift clarence thomas to the high court. in 2009 he infuriated republicans supporting president obama's $800 billion stimulus bill and lost the support of his party and became a democrat. but pennsylvania democrats didn't return the favor and he lost his bid for a sixth term in the democratic primary. specter battled cancer in 2005 and again in 2008 working in the senate through it all. that and another battle with a brain tumor made him a passionate advocate for medical research including stem cell therapy.

arlen specter lost his final battle with cancer at age 82. jonathan karl, abc news, new york. >> one of the last remaining republican moderates on the hill, the party turned toward the right. he will forever be remembered for the anita hill grilling. many years ago. he says "i have gone back and looked at every frame of videos on professor hill, and i did not ask her one unprofessional question." he defended himself and performance during the hearings until the end. so a distinct political character there. >> may he rest in peace. >> for sure. "the skinny" is next. arlen specter 1930-2012. we'll be back. >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations.

♪ skinny so skinny >> welcome back, everybody. this could potentially be some pretty big news. for so many years tom cruise has been the poster boy for church of scientology. a new report in ""star" magazine" that hits stands friday. he could be pondering leaving the church and getting out altogether. according to an insider. we know how that goes. tom has not admitted. >> a source. >> not admitting he is leaving scientology for good. he distanced himself from those in the church and has been hanging out with good friend who are not part of the religion. saying he is being introspective

about his religion affected relationships with katie holmes, nicole kidman, penelope cruz and also more importantly here, how the religion could affect his relationship with suri. going over a lot, according to sources in "star" magazine could it be time to leave the church of scientology. maybe he's going to split. don't know. preliminary reports. interesting if he would do that. so much part of his persona and identity for so long now. >> basically if he stays in the religion they're asking him to turn his back on his daughter. >> they're no longer part of the church. >> could be a deal breaker. >> for sure. all right. one of hollywood's, or should say australia's power couple, russell crowe and his wife, also australian native. according to s"sydney morning's herald newspaper," they are

separating after nine years of marriage. they have two sons. an 8-year-old and 6-year-old. he met daniel spencer on set, 22 years ago, on the set of the film "the crossing." she was a musician. he proposed 2002. had a nice quiet wedding. and their children attend school in sydney. remained in australia. according to the "sydney morning herald" russell crowe and wife daniel spencer have separated. after nine years of marriage. showing you meg ryan. used to date her. a long time ago. >> russell crowe in hollywood. welcome news to some of the lady out there. they like the gladiator. >> oh, yeah. >> also, this interesting news, member the couple that famously, infamously, crashed the white house state dinner the told you a few months ago, the woman, left her husband, they got divorced officially in august she decided to run away with the, the guitarist from journey, neil sean. guess what apparently, a couple days ago he brought her up on

stage at a concert and popped a question to our now engaged. apparently got her an 11.5 carat diamond ring. she and her ex-husband, filed a -- $50 million, he against her, filed a $50 million lawsuit against her since dismissed. all that is water under the bridge. called her up on stage. giddy. like a little girl. jumped up and down. obviously said yes. now the two are it. she left her man for the rocker. now the rocker has proposed and given her a big rock for that finger. america's favorite couple. >> please no reality show. >> oh, please, dear god. >> hulk hogan had a reality show. and one that was too real. the sex tape that was leaked. we will not show you the sex tape. we are a family show. >> thank you, thank you. >> he is trying to figure out who leaked the tape. he called out the big guns, the fbi to track down the person who leaked his, little naked fun time footage. supposed to meet monday. tried to work with local authorities. they couldn't do anything.

because it happened in 2006. and crossed state lines. >> fbi. >> he is going after those suckers. >> man, hulk hogan. hulkomania coming through. you'll have to remind your family they can use less. charmin ultra soft is made with extra cushions that are soft and more absorbent. plus you can use four times less versus the leading value brand. don't worry, there's plenty left for you dad. we all go. why not enjoy the go with charmin ultra soft?

♪ gosh i'm so tired of divisive exchange i have got one or two things to say about change ♪ ♪ like the change we must change to the change we hold dear ♪ ♪ i really like change have i made myself clear ♪ ♪so you talk about change until you are deaf in the ear ♪ ♪ >> bet that brings back some memories for you. that is from good folks at jib-jab, delivered comic relief during the last presidential election. >> with just three weeks to go, not that anybody is counting, comedy coming to the rescue again. it may be the skits that we remember in the end. abc's david muir takes a look. >> reporter: in an age of instant reaction on twitter, facebook on "snl," what

comedians do with the debate performance can be as lasting as the debate itself. >> congress ryan, we begin with your opening statement. >> thank you. first of all. i want to thank center college for hosting us this evening. >> oh, boy, here we go. >> reporter: political historians point out americans used to watch debates by themselves with their own family not with all that instant reaction. >> we had a lot fewer intermediaries interpreting what we were seeing, we saw it for ourselves and the next day we discussed it at the water cooler. "saturday night live" has become our water cooler. >> reporter: and snap judgments on twitter declaring the winner long before the debate is over. >> this is a bunch of malarkey. all right. malarkey. >> a bunch of malarkey what does that mean? >> it's irish. >> no, irish is i come over there and smack that dumb look off your face. >> reporter: as we know a comedian's line can drive a message too. after the first debate, john stewart, the candidate that took on big bird

and won. >> and won. big bird, romney could have water boarded alad din, put down blue, deported dora the explorer and still won walking away. >> reporter: along with the persuadable voters out there, the very persuadable writers. >> when you are sitting there watching something said what is your process for coming up with the jokes. >> something like tonight's debate. something we will do on the show. have all the writers, throw out ideas. well if you enjoyed thursday night's vice presidential debate you are certainly not alone. >> reporter: not alone because the comedians are right there watching too. david muir, abc news, new york. >> jon stewart has been pretty relentless. in fact, the president is going back to the "daily show" this thursday. should be good. >> he is a brave soul. >> thank you for watching this half-hour. don't forget to check us out on facebook. >> that's it. more from abc coming up next. >> announcer: this is abc's "world news now," informing insomniacs for two decades.